CHOR-EO-GRAPHY!
Bollywood lifts shamelessly from Hollywood.
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January 10, 2010 at 9:47 AM
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| Wanted: Brains with originality and backbone. If this ad ever hit the Bollywood-specific glossies, chances are, blind panic would ensue. "Original script? What's dat Boss?"
There were no ifs and buts in Vikram Bhatt's Fareb, the film that portrayed his version of An Unlawful Entry. Charged by the rave response, he sallied forth to pay tribute to the classic Brando-starrer On The Waterfront with Ghulam. His subsequent Kasoor borrowed heavily from Jagged Edge and Ankahee from his earlier mentor Mahesh Bhatt's brilliant, memorable, powerful and moving essay on the extra-marital scene, Arth. Tanuja Chandra's early films Dushman (Eye For Eye) and Sangharsh (Silence Of The Lambs) likewise were "inspired" efforts. Even the talented Mansoor Khan, succumbed. His Akele Hum ... had Kramer v. Kramer plastered all over it, and as for Josh, seen West Side Story anyone? Dharmesh Darshan's Aamir-Manisha starrer Mann is a sad deja-vu of the evergreen romantic classic An Affair To Remember, while Rahul Rawail - the gifted creator of Arjun and Dacait - created a pale imitation of the Hailey Mills super-popular Parent Trap with Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi. Even Kajol's bravura performance couldn't save it!
Undeterred, "inspiration" shamelessly thrives. Recent examples include Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya (Picture Perfect), Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (Wedding Singer), Kahin Pyar Na Ho Jaye (While You Were Sleeping), Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (A Walk In The Clouds), Pyar To Hona Hi Tha (French Kiss), Sirf Tum (You've Got Mail), Aap Ki Khatir (Wedding Date), Baazigar (A Kiss Before Dying) Papa Kehte Hai (My Father, The Hero), Jism (Body Heat), Masoom (Man, Woman And Child), Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hain (My Best Friend's Wedding), The Killer (Collateral), Murder (Unfaithful), Sarkar (Godfather), Dewangee (Primal Fear), Sauda (Indecent Proposal), Zinda (Hellboy), Partners (Hitch), Raaz (What Lies Beneath), Karishma (A Woman Of Substance), Krazzy 4 (Dream Team), Champion (Mercury Rising), Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat (Something About Mary), Shaurya (A Few Good Men), Humraaz (A Perfect Murder), Ajnabi (Consenting Adults), Aitraaz (Disclosure), Naqaab (Dot The I), Welcome (Mickey Blue Eyes) ... Even the acclaimed Bheja Fry borrowed from a French comedy Le Diner De Cons. Sanjay Bhansali's much raved about and awarded Black was a knock off of The Miracle Worker and his recent Saawariya found "inspiration" from White Nights.
"No, nothing is!" says Mahesh Bhatt, the self-appointed spokesman of Bollywood. The high-priest of hard-sell and self-promotion genius, is pragmatic, realistic and doesn't give a damn about being politically correct. "Let's get real. Movies are not about creativity. They are about entertainment and engaging audiences across the spectrum. Films don't run - or flop - because of plagiarism or originality. My Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin saluted Chori Chori and It Happened One Night and the recent thumper Race was an adaptation of Hollywood hit Goodbye Lover, so? They were big hits, weren't they? Today big bucks are involved in an environment that is insanely competitive. A young, impatient, distracted and promiscuous audience-base, with an inviting platter of several alternative entertainment avenues at their disposal, have to be engaged in any which way, who gives a shit to where the material is sourced from as long as it gives the viewers the Big O! Brand loyalty is dead. It's the age of instant gratification. Market forces and ROI call the shots. In this bizarre and complex scheme of things, who cares about authenticity and creativity? Grabbing and retaining audience attention - with some kind of sustenance - is the real challenge to all of us. Everything else is bull crap!"
However, with several Big Hollywood studios coming to Bollywood for co-production, Tinseltown has to brace itself. Sony Pictures, last year threatened to sue K Sera Sera for $30 million accusing it of lifting from the Will Smith starrer Hitch in making Partner. The case is believed to have been settled out of court. More recently, B R Films was sued by Fox for $1.2 million for allegedly plagiarizing from My Cousin Vinny in its production Banda Ye Bindas Hai. The case is also believed to have been settled. Now Warner Bros is threatening legal action against Vipul Shah's forthcoming Action Replay, starring Aishwaya Rai and Akshay Kumar, which it suspects hues dangerously close to the story line of the Oscar-winning The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
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